AG Derek Schmidt completes term as president of National Association of Attorneys General

PORTLAND, Ore. – (June 22, 2018) – Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt this week completed his one-year term as president of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG).

At the organization’s summer meeting in Portland, Ore., Schmidt concluded his yearlong leadership of the association and, with it, his presidential initiative, “Protecting America’s Seniors: Attorneys General United Against Elder Abuse.”

“I am grateful to my colleagues for giving me the opportunity to lead our organization this past year,” Schmidt said. “I am especially proud of the work we have done together related to protecting senior citizens from abuse, and I look forward to the continued efforts that have been spurred by our attention.”

One way those efforts will be continuing is through a new ongoing committee on Elder Justice established by NAAG as an outgrowth of the presidential initiative. Schmidt will serve as the first chairman of the new group, which will continue to coordinate efforts among states and with the federal government.

“This issue will remain an important focus for the nation’s attorneys general,” Schmidt added. “As the senior population in Kansas and the rest of the country continues to grow in number and as a share of our overall population, our efforts to protect senior citizens from abuse – both physical and financial – will need to grow as well.”

Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry was elected to succeed Schmidt as NAAG president. As immediate past president, Schmidt will remain a member of the NAAG Executive Committee for the next 18 months.

Schmidt is the fourth Kansan to lead the national association in its century-long history. The others were Harold Fatzer, Robert Stephan and Carla Stovall.

Photo: Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt this week led his final meeting as president of the National Association of Attorneys General.